Decorate Your Home Office Space With These 5 Items

One good thing about having a home office is that it can be decorated however the owner wants. There’s no need for ugly laminate desks, grim hutches, angular credenzas that no one knows what to do with anyway or ugly, metal, purely functional file cabinets. Some parents use their office to store books, while others have rooms that are so cluttered that they are unable to be productive at all.

Every home needs to have a place that parents can relax and have some quiet time away from the kids and just be able to get some work done. A place where they can read a book for a few minutes and fill up their canteen. Here are five items that put the “home” in home office.

1. A Painting or Two

If the desk is against a long wall, an arresting work of art or a grouping of works of art will be a place to rest the eye and refresh the brain during breaks in work. Lifting your mood or allowing to escape can be a great reason to place artwork in your home office as it brings a bit of flair that would otherwise be a very dull room.

2. A Houseplant

The plant can be small enough to fit on the desk or large enough to need its own corner. Houseplants are not only beautiful, but they also clean the air. Adding plants to a home office can increase the amount of oxygen that is available keeping you more alert and attentive to necessary details. They also increase the humidity of any room they are in which can greatly help any cases of dry skin, colds sore throats or dry coughs. A plant, whether an African violet, a jade plant or a snake plant looks great while providing a great service.

3. An Area Rug

If the desk is in the middle of the room, put an area rug under it. Instead of a plain, gray rug, find something with a beautiful pattern that complements the rest of the room. The pattern can be Indian, Persian, Chinese, Native America or completely modern and abstract. Granted, the rug will have to be tough to hold up under the casters of a work chair and the weight of a desk, but a rug made of nylon and polyester should be both durable and aesthetically pleasing.

4. Add Light

One way to increase your productivity level and esthetic value in your home office is to add light. Not just any light will do. Natural light is essential to keep your mood positive and your energy levels high. I’m sure that we have all know what it feels like to be cooped up for too long but too often we don’t recognize where our anxiety comes from. Try purchasing sheer window coverings so that natural light is able to enter the room as much as possible while still maintaining a bit of privacy. Making sure that you home office is sufficiently lighted is essential because when your body doesn’t get enough natural light it goes into sleep mode. A light fixture with a full spectrum light fixture to simulate sunlight can go a long way in a home office.

5. Window Treatments

If the desk is in front of a window, there are ways to let the light in without sacrificing privacy. Cafe curtains are a good choice. The top part of the window is open while the curtains hang over the bottoms part. When the worker wants to have a view, all he or she has to do is part them. The same is true for half-shutters. If they have adjustable louvers, they too can be adjusted to let in light and air. The panels can also be folded out of the way. Some of the best home offices that I’ve seen have even had stained glass windows for a great, positive ambiance.

These five suggestions for a home office can make it that much more comfortable and familiar. As mean as it may sound, you can make your home office a “no-kid zone” so that you are more free to finish some work and relax. Make sure that when you are coming up with ideas for your own home office that you keep in mind things that will make you feel motivated to work but aren’t distracting. If the worker is both physically and mentally comfortable, their productivity will increase. Sometimes you need an outside opinion and that where a design company like creativeinteriorsanddesign.com can be of help.

Earnest Parenting is fast becoming the goto resource for parents who need help, support, and advice. Edited by Amy LeForge, the mother of two sets of twin boys, the site aims to help and encourage parents. 1 of Amy's boys goes to public school (his choice) and the other 3 are homeschooled. More...

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